National Register of Historic Places

Elephant Packing House

Fullerton, Orange County, California
Listed
September 20, 1983
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83001214

About this property

The Elephant Packing House was built in 1924, in Fullerton, Orange County, Southern California. Valencia oranges were packed here, from the abundant orchards that then dominated the county. William Wolfskill had developed and extensively planted the Valencia orange here in the 19th century. It is one of the last remaining examples of a citrus packing house in Fullerton. The packing house was built in 1924 by the Union Pacific Railway to complement its neighboring train station. The 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m2) packing house first shipped oranges under the Elephant label, and was later leased by grower C.C. Chapman to pack his Old Mission brand oranges. After it fell out of use for orange shipping, the warehouse was used by a lawn furniture distributor. In 1960 the Union Pacific Railway sold the structure, which has been used by a variety of tenants. It was expanded in 1971. The railway station has since been relocated. The packing house design is predominantly in the Mission Revival Style, with Spanish Colonial Revival Style architectural elements. The main building measures 165 feet (50 m) by 70 feet (21 m), with one story above grade and a full basement. The interior is lighted by two sawtooth roof monitors. The north side faces onto railroad tracks that run immediately adjacent to the packing house. The Elephant Packing House was located on the Union Pacific Railroad line for shipping to the East Coast and elsewhere. The line is no longer in service. A Mission Revival style Union Pacific Railroad railway station (built 1923) was already adjacent. It has been preserved and been moved to the Fullerton Transportation Center, next to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway station there (built 1930). All three buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, California — listed with images and article links. City of Fullerton: Elephant Packing House Archived 2012-05-16 at the Wayback Machine

Location

201 W. Truslow Ave.
Fullerton, Orange County, California
33.86746, -117.92657

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCEAGRICULTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Fullerton Union Pacific Depot
Industrial
0.2 mi
Fullerton Odd Fellows Temple
Civil War
0.2 mi
Santa Fe Railway Passenger and Freight Depot
Industrial
0.3 mi
Farmers and Merchants Bank of Fullerton
Industrial
0.3 mi
Fender's Radio Service
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of La Mesa
1847Mexican-American War
13.5 mi
Battle of San Gabriel
1847Mexican-American War
14.3 mi
Battle of Rio San Gabriel
1847Mexican-American War
14.6 mi
Battle of La Mesa (California)
1847Mexican-American War
15.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Elephant Packing House listed on the National Register?

Elephant Packing House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 20, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Elephant Packing House?

Elephant Packing House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Elephant Packing House?

The period of significance for Elephant Packing House is recorded as the industrial era.

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